• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 28, 2025

PALM SPRINGS, CA -- Uber Advertising could expand ad units on its app that would work and look more like Google Maps.

What if the app tied in data to target ads in other apps like Facebook and TikTok about local businesses as the driver passes by stores based on location? 

“We’ve had brands want to sponsor the car, but we have not gone there yet,” said Kristi Argyilan, head of Uber Advertising.

Uber does not have ads in the app that serve up when a car passes a certain store similar to Google Maps, but Argyilan appears to believe that is a possibility. "We don't yet," she said. “We’re also interested in what other screens you're looking at while on a trip. Are you looking at another app Instagram, TikTok or something else.”

Today, Argyilan said, Uber does not have that data, but the company is working with others to understand it. While she is "brand new into the role, business is on an upward trajectory.”

And what if there was a way to tell what apps people use while riding in Uber. As you can imagine, the possibilities are vast. 

It's not difficult to understand why or how. Argyilan, who is responsible for launching Albertsons Media Collective business, has been known to take the lead in retail media. Now she is doing the same for Uber.

In an earlier panel at the IAB ALM conference, David Mogensen, vice president of global marketing at Uber and Uber Eats, spoke about brand purpose and how to ensure that the brand remains relevant in everyday life. 

"The challenge comes when there's a distance between the brand's purpose and how money is made," he said. "Brand purpose should be core to what the brand does. For us it's about reimagining mobility -- how we get things for you or get you places."

Uber Eats has already released the teaser for its Super Bowl 2025 commercial, in which Matthew McConaughey swaps his Texas twang for a Chicago accent in a 30-second teaser.

McConaughey swaggers over to a full-length mirror with a photo of Chicago Bears’ former coach Mike Ditka taped beside it. Next to the taped picture, he tries to look like the Pro Football Hall of Famer with his hair combed back, a button down and tie underneath a Bears t-shirt.